You Can Now Switch Between Clean and Explicit Versions in Real Time

A technology has arrived that allows listeners to toggle back and forth between “clean” and “explicit” lyrics in real time. The filter launched today on the online radio service Dash Radio, beating Apple, who have similar technology in the works, to the punch. In the app, that simply means holding a finger on the appropriate icon. Dash Radio said it had filed for a patent on the technology underlying the filter.

“Terrestrial radio, with FCC regulations, can only air censored versions of the music it airs, while streaming services all force listeners to choose between only the explicit or clean versions of the songs in their catalogs,” Dash Radio founder and CEO DJ Skee said in a statement. “Digital and satellite radio services have always been forced to make entirely separate stations for each category, thus forcing users to make a choice, and lose a chunk of programming. With this feature, Dash Radio listeners have more choice, more control, and ultimately more freedom to enjoy music the way they like in any situation or setting.”

Dash Radio rolled out the filter first on its urban station, “The City,” with plans to expand over the rest of its 75 stations. The filter is an option on Dash Radio’s iOS and Android apps, as well as over the web and on certain vehicle platforms, the company said.

Apple previously filed for a patent on real-time censorship technology. 

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